The Put-In

For artist Cody Richardson there’s no more enticing silhouette than the one belonging to a certain fish that he hasn’t yet caught. “To me it’s like the elk hunting of flyfishing,” he says of permit, as he pours us a couple of beers in his Windsor, Colorado workshop. “They’re so smart and you have to work so hard to get them. When you do finally hook and land one, is there a more perfect fish?”

In this episode of the DrakeCast we float down Wisconsin's Chippewa River in search of Midwestern, river-dwelling smallmouth bass. But what do you do if the fish just aren’t biting like they normally do? While searching for answers, we hit the water with Lucky Porter, a guide who makes a living on these fish, learn a few tips, and just thoroughly enjoy our time on the water.

RepYourWater's Bash for Boulder Creek is back. The 4th annual event, a fundraiser for Boulder Flycasters (Boulder's Trout Unlimited chapter), will not only include all of the great festivities of Bashes past—games, food, beer, music, fun—but will also be the launch party for a collaborative collection between RepYourWater and Sight Line Provisions.

Often referred to as the Rodney Dangerfield of fish, shad don't get no respect. In this episode of the DrakeCast, we head to the Potomac River in Washington DC to catch America's forgotten fish. While we're at it, we'll learn about the historic importance of the shad run, the troubles these fish have faced since the arrival of Europeans in the New World, and look at what these fish, and this river, represent in our country and our sport.

This episode of The DrakeCast is a two-fer, and both segments focus on the backyard bass of Southern California. We start in Long Beach Harbor with Captain Vaughn Podmore where we search for sea creatures in the shadow of lighthouses, cranes, and military helicoptors. For the second half of the episode, we head south to San Diego Bay. Both of these fisheries are incredibly accessible and it made us wonder, what other hidden gems are within major city limits across the country?

The 2018 Video Awards brought the party to the Rosen Plaza, Orlando, with another big night of cold beers, live music, and brilliant films. And while Central Florida simmered outside, it was a similarly heated story inside, where the year’s best movies slugged it out for top honors.